Railway mail handling apparatus



J. W. OWEN RAILWAY MAIL HANDLING APPARATUS Oct. 5,1943.

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RAILWAY MAIL HANDLING APPARATUS I Filed April 27, 1942 3 Sheets$heet- 5 r/ ,6 A9 ,1 2,2 49 /a I Inventor I 20/50 Owe/7 A/9 By 405:"- WWW mm Patented Oct. 5, 19 43 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RAILWAY MAIL HANDLING APPARATUS John W. Owen, Columbus, Ohio Application April 27, 1942, Serial No. 440,717

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This invention relates to new and useful improvements in mail dropping and catching apparatus for railways, the principal object of the invention being to provide a single apparatus which will automatically catch a pouch of mail acter stated which will be positive acting and not susceptible to the ready development of defects.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 represents a fragmentaryside elevational view of a mail car showing a door with the rolling stock attached unit in place, and in proper relationship with respect to the station located unit, shown to the left.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view through one of the holders and through a mail pouch held therein.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through one of the holders shown without a mail pouch.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 5--5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the spring used with the holders.

Referring to the drawings wherein like numerals designate like parts, it can be seen in Figure 1, that numeral 5 generally refers to a mail car having a door opening 6 in a side thereof. Numeral 1 denotes a supporting bar which spans the door 6 and projecting outwardly from this bar I is an arm 8 upon which a holder unit generally referred to by'numeral 9 is mounted, this unit 9 being in complement to a unit II) which is supported by a post I I and arm I2 at a railway station or some other pick-up and delivery point.v

It is to be understood that each of the holders 9, H3 is of like construction and each includes a pair of jaws l3, it having arcuate-shaped inner faces a, a for hugging the intermediate portion of a mail pouch l4. Leg members 15, I5 extend from the jaws :3, I3, the jaws and legs being connected by inwardly offset portions it which are pivotally secured as at H to the corresponding arm 8 or the arm 12, in juxtaposition as shown in Figure 3.

The legs l5, l5 are slotted adjacent the neck portions 15 and through these slotted portions extends the bight portion b of a U-shaped strip spring 18, the leg portions of which are disposed the legs l5, I5.

As can be seen in Figure 3, the free end portions of the legs [5, l5 diverge outwardly as at '20, these portions 20 serving to define a mouth for guiding mail pouches into the confines of the legs l5, l5. 1 I One leg l5 of each unit 9, H! has a recess 2| in which one end of a prop 22 is pivotally mounted, the other end of the prop being adapted to abut the opposed portion of the complementary legs I5 to hold the legs in open position as suggested in Figure 3 and maintain the jaws l3, l3 gripping a mail pouch M. This setting is required when it is desired to deliver and receive mail pouches.

Referring now to Figure 2, it can be seen that the units 9, lil are in reverse relation with respect to their position, it being observed that the legs of the units are pointed toward each other.

A mail pouch will be positioned between the jaws l3, l3 of each unit 9, I0.

When the pouch of the unit 9 strikes the prop 22 of the unit It, the doors l3, l3 of the unit It will be released and the spring I8 will serve to spread the same. The same action takes place with respect to the pouch in the unit In. The prop 22 of the unit 9 will ride the pouch in the unit l0 become tripped by contact, simultaneous with the aforestated operation so that the pouch of the unit 9 will be released to be held between the legs l5, l5 as the pouch of the unit ID to be picked up by the mail car is gripped by the legs l5, 15 of the unit 9.

As is shown in Figure 3, it is preferable that the arms 8 and I2 be of sectional construction, with one section telescoping the other and having openings therein for receiving a pin, so that the position of'the corresponding unit can be reversed whenever desired, as for instance, to take care of asingle track railway where trains move in opposite directions thereon. Obviously, by unloosening the pin and rotating the unit and reinserting the pin the unit can be made to serve each unit comprising a unit supporting arm, a pair of elongated members of compound curvature pivotally mounted upon the arm side by side intermediate the ends thereof and forming two pairs of jaws upon opposite sides of said arm,

respectively, a U-shaped leaf spring between the jaws of one pairtending to close said pair and open the other pair ofjaws, a prop between the 

